Chinese zodiac · Year of the Dragon
The Water Dragon: 1952, 2012, 2072
壬辰 · Ren chén · Yang Water stem on the Earth branch
A Water Dragon year pairs the Heavenly Stem 壬 (Ren, yang Water) with the Earthly Branch 辰 (chén, the Dragon). The pair recurs every sixty years, so in the range AsterNym covers the Water Dragon years are 1952, 2012, 2072. The animal is the same each time; the stem is what makes a Water Dragon different from a Wood Dragon or a Fire Dragon. The popular zodiac begins each of these years at Lunar New Year and BaZi begins it at Li Chun, so both boundaries are given below for every year.
What a Water Dragon is like
Popular Chinese zodiac tradition. For reflection, not prediction.
The Water Dragon is calmer and more reflective, ambition with patience, the Dragon others find easiest to work beside.
The Water Dragon of 2012 is the calm one, ambition with patience, and the tradition reads it as the Dragon other people find easiest to work beside.
In BaZi terms the Earth branch controls the Water stem: Earth restrains Water in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Dragon's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
The rest of the Dragon’s character, in love, at work and the growing edge, is on the Year of the Dragon page.
Water Dragon years and when each begins
The popular zodiac year begins at Lunar New Year; BaZi begins it at Li Chun, the start of spring. Both dates are given so a birth between them can be placed in either system.
| Year | Lunar New Year (popular zodiac) | Ends | Li Chun (BaZi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 27 January 1952 | 13 February 1953 | 5 February 1952 |
| 2012 | 23 January 2012 | 9 February 2013 | 4 February 2012 |
| 2072 | outside the table | … | 4 February 2072 |
The next Water Dragon year is 2072. Check any birthday against the boundary with the finder.
Famous Water Dragons
Public birth records, assigned by the Lunar New Year boundary.
Born in 1952
- Orhan PamukTurkish novelist, academic and Nobel laureate
- Cyril RamaphosaPresident of South Africa since 2018
- Liam NeesonActor from Northern Ireland
- Patrick SwayzeAmerican actor, producer, singer and dancer
- Lee Hsien Loong3rd Prime Minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024
- Jeff GoldblumAmerican actor and musician
Common questions
- When does the Year of the Water Dragon start?
- The 1952 Water Dragon year began at Lunar New Year on 27 January 1952 and ran to 13 February 1953. The 2012 Water Dragon year began at Lunar New Year on 23 January 2012 and ran to 9 February 2013. 2072 is outside AsterNym's Lunar New Year table. BaZi turns the year at Li Chun instead (1952: 5 February 1952; 2012: 4 February 2012; 2072: 4 February 2072), so a birth between the two dates carries different year animals in the two systems.
- What is a Water Dragon personality?
- The Water Dragon is calmer and more reflective, ambition with patience, the Dragon others find easiest to work beside. In BaZi terms the Earth branch controls the Water stem: Earth restrains Water in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Dragon's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
- When is the next Water Dragon year?
- 2072. The pair of stem 壬 and branch 辰 recurs every sixty years.